Hospital Gown

ABSTRACT

A hospital gown ( 100 ) is provided with an access flap ( 120 ) in the front of the hospital gown in the chest area of the patient. The access flap ( 120 ) attaches and detaches from the hospital gown providing access to the chest area of the patient without the need to remove the hospital gown off the patient. Further, a support flap ( 130 ) is provided on the front section of the hospital gown such that the support flap ( 130 ) supports a medical tube between the support flap ( 130 ) and the hospital gown ( 100 ), in order to prevent the medical tube from detaching from the patient&#39;s body in case of an accident. Also, openings ( 160 ) at the lower side regions of the gown allow for a connection or other medical tubing to the patient&#39;s body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a hospital gown, and more specifically, to a hospital gown with a unique design that provides full access for all types of treatment for a patient, while providing full comfort and dignity to the patient.

2. Prior Art

Traditionally, hospital gowns have a solid front and a single rear overlapping panel opening extending from the neck to the hem and with one or more ties to secure the rear flaps together. With such gowns, the patient puts on the gown in reverse and may require assistance in tying the rear ties. The rear flaps also tend to fly open and do not necessarily provide ample coverage for maintaining a patient's dignity and comfort.

Further, it is necessary for doctors to remove the gown substantially in order to perform necessary procedures and operations. Medical applications require tubing and instruments to be placed in and on various parts of the patient's body, and prior art hospital gowns fail to provide a gown that can accommodate these without substantially removing the gown from the patient. Such procedures can subject a patient to embarrassment and discomfort.

Accordingly, a need has arisen for a hospital gown that can be worn more comfortably by a patient, yet overcomes the problems associated with providing access to areas of the patient's body that may require the proximity of tubing leads and instruments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the several disadvantages of prior hospital gowns, the present invention provides a hospital gown that is comfortable for the patient and that provides doctors with easy access to the chest areas of a patient's body that may require incision, placement or insertion of medical tubing and instruments, without the need of removing the hospital gown from the patient. Further, support flaps provide for a comfortable and secure connection to the gown and prevent extraction of the medical tubing and leads to the patient's body. Also, openings at the lower side regions of the gown allow for connections of catheters, medical tubing and other devices to the patient's body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the apparatus and methods of the present invention will become better understood due to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the hospital gown attached to an IV tower.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the support flap of the hospital gown.

FIG. 4 is a back view of the hospital gown.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are front and back views of the hospital gown, respectively, which illustrate an embodiment of the present invention designed for easy closure of the gown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, the present invention will be described in its preferred embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the hospital gown 100, as it would appear on a person. The hospital gown 100 comprises a front side 110, a back side 111 (not shown), with a left sleeve 113 and right sleeve 112. The left sleeve 113 and right sleeve 112 may be sewn to the front side 110 and the back side 111, respectively, and extend from the neckline 115 of the hospital gown 100 to the underarm area 116. The left sleeve 113 and right sleeve 112 may have metal snaps that hold the sleeves together along the top area of the sleeves, or have Velcro straps or any other means known in the art to hold the sleeves together. The front side 110 and back side 111 of the hospital gown 100 are long enough in a vertical direction to provide the necessary full coverage for a patient. The gown can come in different sizes to accommodate the wearer.

An access flap 120 having a top side 121, bottom side 122, right side 123 and left side 124, is provided for access to the chest area of a patient. The top side 121 of the access flap can correspond to the neckline 115 of the hospital gown 100. The access flap 120 is detachable along the seams of the left side 124, right side 123 and bottom side 122. Thus, the access flap 120 can be detached either on the left side 124, right side 123 or the bottom side 122 individually, or the access flap 120 can be detached by a combination of the left side 124, right side 123 and the bottom side 122, as may be required for different medical procedures.

The access flap 120 may be connected to the hospital gown along the left side 124, right side 123, top side 121 or the bottom side 122 by Velcro straps, buttons, zips, metal snaps, adhesives or any other means known in the art that provides a manner for attaching and detaching materials used to make hospital gowns from each other. The access flap 120 provides access to the chest area of a patient without the need to remove the entire shirt or gown off the patient to perform the necessary medical procedures.

The hospital gown 100 may have opening inserts 160 for Foley tubes or other devices at the lower side regions of the hospital gown 100 as shown in FIG. 1. The bottom of the hospital gown 100 may have double needle top stitching, that is bartacked at all stress points, providing for extra reinforcement to areas which are major stress areas on garments suspect to tearing.

Further, the hospital gown 100 may have intravenous (“IV”) support flaps 130 as shown in FIG. 1. The IV support flap 130 may be stitched to the hospital gown 100 by reinforced threading on the top and bottom of the IV support flap 130.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the hospital gown 100 when the patient is connected to an IV bag 201 supported by an IV tower 200. The IV tower 200 holds the IV bag 201, which is connected to an IV tube 210, which is shown connecting to the chest of the patient through a port 220 to provide the contents of the IV bag 201 to the patient. The IV support flap 130 on the hospital gown 100 supports the IV tube 210.

FIG. 3 shows the preferred connection of the IV tube 210 to the IV support flap 130. The IV tube 210 runs from the IV tower 200 to the port 220. The IV tube 210 may be attached to the IV support flap 130 by the use of a safety pin 300 and medical tape 310, or some other known method. In the prior art, the safety pin would run through the hospital gown and rest against the chest of the patient, causing discomfort to the patient. In the hospital gown 100 of the present invention, the safety pin 300 connects to the support flap 130 so that the IV tube 210 connects to the outside of the hospital gown 100. The medical tape 310 holds the safety pin to the IV support flap 130.

With the present invention, there is more comfort for the patient and also more security for the IV port. In case of an accident, such as the patient falling, the IV tube 210 will remain connected to the port 220 at the patient's chest as it is attached to the IV support flap and not directly to the hospital gown 100. The IV tube 210 runs from the port 220 in the patient's chest, to the IV support flap 130, to the IV tower 200. Thus, there are no tubes sticking out of the sleeve of the hospital gown 100, which can be easily pinched stopping the flow of the contents of the IV bag 201 if the patient turns on his/her side or otherwise occluded.

FIG. 4 shows the back side 111 of the hospital gown 100. The back side 111 comprises a left side 111 a and right side 111 b. The back side 111 of the hospital gown 100 comprises back ties 400, which are preferably long back ties for easy closure and for sizing purposes. The back ties 400 connect the left side 111 a to the right side 111 b of the back side 111 of the hospital gown 100. Preferably there are two back ties 400 as shown in FIG. 4, but there may be one or more than one, depending on the size and length of the hospital gown 100. The back ties 400 are tied such that there is approximately only ½ inch of space between the left side 111 a and right side 111 b of the back side 111 of the hospital gown 100. The back side 111 may be closed using other known means including, but not limited to, Velcro straps, metal snaps, buttons, zips or adhesives.

An additional option for easy closure of the hospital gown in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. The feature depicted in these figures is a robe-like component that secures the back of the gown. FIG. 5A shows the front side 110 of the hospital gown 100. FIG. 5B shows the back side 111 of the hospital gown 100. The lower back tie 400 shown in FIG. 4 has been eliminated and replaced by a long fabric strip 600 secured to the left side 111 a of the hospital gown 100. This fabric strip 600 connects to another long fabric strip 600 a on the left front side 110 of the hospital gown 100. These fabric strips 600, 600 a are designed for easy closure in the front of the patient and for sizing purposes. Such an embodiment as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B prevents exposure of the patient's body, a common negative aspect of the traditional hospital gown design that utilizes hard-to-reach snaps that prevent easy closure.

The present invention provides several advantages that solve the problems with prior art inventions. It provides a hospital gown designed with an access flap so that medical procedures may be performed on a patient without the discomfort of removing the entire gown from the patient and causing discomfort for the patient. Further, the IV support flaps allow for the connection of IV tubes or other medical tubing or leads while limiting any discomfort to the patient, yet a secure, safe and efficient connection of the medical tubing can be provided to the patient.

The hospital gown of the present invention may be made of any conventional woven or non-woven fabric, paper or other convenient sheet-form material. Preferably, very light weight cotton may be utilized with a capability of undergoing washings with fairly high temperature water capable of sterilizing as well as cleaning. The sleeves 112, 113 may have metal snaps 140, or may comprise Velcro straps. The access flap 120 is attached to the hospital gown 100 through any means known in the art that provides a manner for attaching and detaching material that is used for hospital gowns from each other, such as but not limited to Velcro straps, buttons, zips, adhesives, etc. The gown may come in any size from extra small sizes to extra, extra large sizes.

While there has been shown and described what is considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited to the exact forms described and illustrated, but should be constructed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A hospital gown for a patient comprising: a front section; a back section; an access flap in the front section allowing access to the patient's chest area; and means for detaching and attaching said access flap to said front section.
 2. A hospital gown for a patient comprising: a front section; a back section; and a support flap on said front section for supporting a medical device securely to the hospital gown such that the medical device is supported between the support flap and the hospital gown.
 3. A hospital gown for a patient comprising: a front section; a back section; and at least one lower side opening in said hospital gown to provide for connecting a medical device to a patient's body. 